Seven Very Importand Things To Know Before You Hire A Designer Or Decorater.

A designer’s KEY job is to create a home that not only looks and flows better, but it has to in my opinion Work better. These Seven Tips should help you to find the right person to work with, which in the end creates a sucessful experience for you and your family.

The Designer should know what your home needs well before you will.

As time goes on in your home year after year you can find yourself feeling uninspired, and feeling like the direction that once worked in your home, no longer now has a place. That’s where a good designer comes in. They are there to inspire you, help you dream, bring you back to reality, and bring out the very best in your home. This is what I call a great design partnership!

If the Designer you’ve chosen doesn’t charge for your first consultation, Tread Carefully.

Now there are excepitons to this rule, but for the most part you will always pay for the first consulation. You have to remember that this is the designers time, and it is a very important meeting in regards to the outcome of your space. This is their time to listen to you, dream with you, decide what needs to happen, and they will offer some solutions right there on the spot. I usually talk with a new client for a few minutes on the phone prior to this first meeting and I feel this gives both of us an indication if we are a right fit.

The Designer you’ve chosen to work in your home should have passion, hard working skills, and a sense of hunger.

I know many times if someone owns a new business and they have that hunger in them, it’s believed or precieved that their hunger is only driven because their business is new. Any business that is under 5 years old, I believe is really considered a new business. Regardless of how long they’ve been specifyling paint colour for you or working with the trades in your home, if they are passionate about what they do it should be quite apparent after many years. If it isn’t, then perhaps it’s time for them to move on and start something new.

Communication is Key.

Communication in my opinion is the make or break factor in the design business. Truly finding someone that you communicate well with is my opinion the best way to start a working relationship. I’ve found the more open I am with my clients, the more open they feel with me. You as a client should be open to speak your thoughts, and they should hear you.

Your Designer should work very hard for you.

You may or may not see every detail that they have done for your project, every minute that they spend in the shower thinking about your project, but trust me you will know. Your designer will be very emotionally invested in your project as well, and if they aren’t then you need to reconize when it’s time to move forward in a positive direction.

Your Designer should Say NO to you. Yes, you read that right.

There will come a time when an idea that your home will not work and a good designer should plain out say No sometimes. Not only no, but they should be able to provide you reasons why. You have hired then to help your home to work better and for the colors and finishes to be more inline, but it’s also a part of their job to teach you as they go along. Who is the professional here? If you’ve paid them the money to help you in your home, then you need to let them do their work, and part of that process is trust.

Honesty when it comes to the “Money Talks”.

This is the area where confusion lies when it comes to hiring a designer. Now most designers work on different models, and not one of them is exactly right. The Designer usually finds the best system for them, and they should be confident in it. Honesty when is comes to money is so important. When the designer respects your money, it’s a good indication that they repect you as an indiviual.

There you go, seven tips that I hope you have found helpful. If you have any comments, or questions then feel free to comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Jodi

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Comments

I like the frank language you use. This reads clear, and is to the point. What I appreciate about your article in particular, is it’s useful for both potential client and designer. You have given food for thought to both sides of the relationship. Well done!